I read a great deal. It helps me switch off and relax. I love The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, The Lost Weekend by Charles Jackson and The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. All these show the battle of people against adversity (some times successfully, sometimes not) and the triumph of the human spirit, even if the protagonist has not “won” in a conventional way. They all represent a kind of freedom, even if it’s from the point of view of imprisonment - social, psychological or via appalling working conditions…
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Couldn’t possibly name the “best” book I’ve ever read - some were just great at that time but not since - maybe because I read other stuff. I’d have to break it down into most exciting, funniest, most challenging, most atmospheric…
Good grief, even the list of headings is gonna be soooooo long…
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I too love books and I have several 
Your post made me realise that I have read very little fiction in the last 30 odd years and this is it !
I feel it is really apt considering the state of the World at the moment and can see a good many - what you might call “Red-Pilled men” acting in the world as the “hero” suggests - a situation you may have heard of called “going Galt” 
Then there is an account of life in Victorian England (London) in the early 1900s
Some have found very educationlal are (in no particular order);
I have both of these
I also have all 3 of these ;
And an older version of this ;
Ok I’ll stop there ! 
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Grit
Your Money or Your Life
Early Retirement Extreme
The Millionaire Next Door
Capital
Set for Life
Principles
Titan
Stop Acting Rich
The Dhandho Investor
For trading type books:
‘Trading in the zone’
‘Naked forex’
‘The art of currency trading’
Those three are really good.
‘One Good Trade’ is pretty good, but take some of his NY centric stuff with a big grain of salt.
Al Brooks has a few good books.
Loads of good general finance/economics/personal finance and investing books too.
I read a ton, more in most months than most people read in a year I would imagine.
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You might also like London labour and London Poor. It’s the first really detailed survey of working and social conditions in London. Non fiction but reads like a novel
Just out of the stomach two books came immediatly into my mind when i read the question , “Papillon” by Henry Charriere and “The Odessa file” by Frederick Forsyth, both as an early teenager, i took them after i was exploring around in the bookshelf of my parents - both very exiting!
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Some books, but very few, have the power to change your life.
I remember reading “The Dice Man” by Luke Rinehart when I was in college. That book changed my life.
Or did it? Am I just saying that? Maybe I could have said something else?
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Thanks for the recommendation. I’m going to check it out!
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Sounds a bit “Black Swans” - (Nicholas Nasim Taleb) - and at least 2 reviewers compare it with “One Flew over the cuckoo’s nest” - The best film ever made !
I think I might just buy that ! 
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Funny how a bunch of traders like the sound of Dice man!
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Thanks - but I’m no sociologist - “People of the Abyss” was a horror - people refused anywhere to sleep - to the extent that London PArks were closed and guraded at night to prevent them doing so and having to pay 1 penny (which most did not have) to sleep standing up and supported by a clothes line !
People were imported from the countryside and became so weak and ill that they did not last more than 2 generations ! - and that too was observational - by a great writer - Jack London. - I cannot believe any journal of “Victinmhood” can come close to the real truth imposed on those people only 100 years ago !
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Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris .
A real eyeopener even though I’m more Agnostic personally it shows how the Dogma of Religion can struggle growth and human advances
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The first book I read that I couldn’t put down was Johnny Got His Gun
It’s a great book, but it’s strange because there’s no punctuation. I won’t give any spoilers, but the story has an interesting lay out.
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A book with no punctuation would probably drive avid reader’s mad but will definitely grab a copy or listen to on Audible
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I’ve not heard of this author or this novel before but I just read up a little on the subject. What a fascinating premise. I don’t plan to read it but he certainly deserves recognition.
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Something about Stephen King books just makes me feel cozy. Pet Semetary is my favorite, especially during the fall, possibly because of some of the nostalgia that comes with it for me.
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Ooh this sounds interesting. Reminds me of The Devil in the White City! Not UK however but the US.
11/22/63, his best book IMO!
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No way!!! I will NEVER read a horror book! I can barely handle horror movies. A book will be even scarier. You’re a brave soul.
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Games people play.